Introduction

Most purchased telescopes come standard with their own tripod and method of mounting the telescope to it. The problem is, a custom pier often does not match this mounting system, so a method of adapting the two needs to be found.

Case and problem

In order to take a typical EQ6 German equatorial mount off it's tripod and put it on a pier, one needs to bridge the gap between the bottom of the mountand the top of the chosen pier.

Solution.

One way is to buy an adaptor plate. End of story.

The other is to take the top of your tripod, as it is already the right shape for your mount, then attach it to your pier. If you don't intend to use the tripod that comes with the mount, this is a great option, because want it or not, you get it as part of the package anyway.

Simply unbolt the legs of your tripod, and take the top off it. Then, construct a square or round plate, drill a 12.5mm hole in the centre of it, and your holes for spacer tubes in the corners. (See picture)

The bottom plate is on threaded rod with a nut either side to level it. The top plate is on four evenly cut spacer tubes with a bolt through them to secure the plate rigid to the bottom.

The long stainless steel threaded bolt that comes with the tripod needs to be cut down level with the plastic knob so it can fit under the plate.